Diet pills, side effects

Side effects associated with this type of diet pill often occur because, in causing the body to burn more calories, the pills speed up many body processes—possibly to a level that becomes dangerous. Examples are increased blood pressure and heart rate, which can lead to heart problems over time. Other side effects include nervousness and insomnia. 

Many diet pills that work by increasing the number of calories burned have been developed. Most of these contain one or more of the three ingredients caffeine, phenylpropanolamine (PPA), and ephedrine. In the United States, PPA and ephedrine have been withdrawn from the market because they produce serious side effects, including heart attack and stroke. Caffeine, which is still found in many diet pills, will be further discussed in Chapter 6. 

Figure 4.1 The chemical structure of amphetamine and fenfluramine are illustrated here. Fenfluramine (bottom) is a diet pill that is very similar in structure to amphetamine (top). Fenfluramine is an appetite suppressant, like amphetamine, but it does not have stimulant effects. Fenfluramine was proposed as a safer alternative to amphetamine and was very effective in causing weight loss, especially when used in combination with phentermine. Unfortunately, fenfluramine eventually led to devastating side effects, which led to its being withdrawn from the U.S. market.

Phenylropanolamine was initially believed to have a very low risk of side effects, and the FDA allowed it to be available over the counter, without a prescription. After some time, phenylpropanolamine became the active ingredient in many nonprescription diet pills, such as Acutrim , Dexatrim , and Protrim. Early studies demonstrated that the drug s main side effect was an increase in energy that sometimes led to insomnia or agitation. 

Figure 6.1 Anna Nicole Smith, a famous actress and model, reports that she used the dietary supplement TrimSpa to achieve her recent weight loss. Advertisements like these encourage consumers to believe they will achieve miraculous weight loss results, i.e., look like a runway model, if they use this product. These advertisements never even hint at the potential side effects associated with this diet pill.

The quest for the perfect diet pill is far from over. Readers should use reputable Internet sites and other sources to keep abreast of new developments. In most cases, diet pills will only be recommended for obese individuals who fall into certain risk-based categories. All drugs have side effects the benefits must always outweigh the risks when you decide to take these pills. 

Attitudes about weight had changed somewhat by 1893 when the first diet pill was marketed. The pill was a thyroid extract sold under names like Frank J. Kellogg s Safe Fat Reducer. People lost weight. However, there were dangerous side effects for people who did not have a hypothyroid condition. Hypothyroidism is a glandular condition characterized by an impaired rate of metabolism. 

This diet pill increased a person s metabolic rate, but it had dangerous side effects. At least 12 women who took it lost their eyesight. Other people lost their sense of taste dinitrophenol caused skin rashes. People died from hyperpyrexia, an abnormally high fever brought on by increased metabolism. 

In 1937, the amphetamine dextroamphetamine was sold as a diet pill under the trade name Dexedrine. This medication was twice as potent as other amphetamines. It was also regarded as having the least amount of side effects. However, amphetamines were highly addictive. 

The diet pill combination posed a health risk. Side effects from long-term use included primary pulmonary... 

Amphetamines, or stimulant drugs, become popular as diet pills. Serious side effects and withdrawal symptoms cause its popularity to fade. Approval for weight loss use is eventually reversed. 

Dahl, Melissa. "Diet pill s icky side effects keep users honest." MSNBC, July 6, 2007. Available online. URL www.msnbc. msn.com/id/19587389. Accessed October 30, 2007. 

Besides coffee and cola drinks, other sources of caffeine are tea, chocolate, and cocoa. Caffeine is a mild stimulant of the respiratory and central nervous systems, the reason for its well-known side effects of nervousness and insomnia. These characteristics, together with its behavior as a mild diuretic, account for the use of caffeine in a wide variety of products, including pain relievers, cold remedies, diet pills, and stay-awake pills (No-Doz ). Because caffeine is considered to be a drug, pregnant women should be prudent about how much caffeine they consume. Like most other drugs, caffeine enters the bloodstream, crosses the placental barrier, and reaches the fetus. 

The authors report that the pharmacokinetics and dynamics are not well understood at present due to lack of data. Synthetic carmabinoids are lipid soluble, nonpolar and contain 20-26 carbons. The authors lament the fact that detecting these synthetics is not easy as there are too many of them out there and most laboratories are not equipped to test for fhem. Furfhermore, in fheir pafienf, he had used a diet pill along with K9 preventing them from affirming an association of the clinical presentation to the use of K9. However, the authors do not believe that these symptoms were secondary to caffeine. The K9 their patient had used had various herbs such as Canavaliu rosea, Clematis vitalba, Nelumbo nucifera and Ledum palustre. It is unclear if these herbs contributed to the side effects too. 

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